I work with securities lawyers. Which is pretty weird, I must admit. Example: returning back to work after christmas break, instead of being asked “Hey, did you see the Star Wars movie over the break?” I was asked “Hey, did you see The Big Short?”

No. I did not.

So I finally went out and watched it. And loved it.

The 2008 recession hit me hard. It actually completely changed my life, so I’ve always been obsessed with everything that happened back then. Do I understand it better after seeing the movie? No. But it did educate me a bit, especially with all the celeb cameo appearances dumbing down the financial mumbo jumbo, like explaining what a mortgage-backed security really is and why it all became so volatile.

Steve Carell’s scenes gave me chills. His acting was downright haunting, and in between all the shaky-camera work and the moments of “Wait, the economy is going to crash by HOW MUCH??”, it was almost like watching a horror movie. Maybe because, as Ryan Gosling says to the camera at one point, “This actually happened.”

There’s nothing spookier than that. This actually happened. It fucked up so many lives.

“The Truth is a lot like poetry. And most people fucking hate poetry.” (a quote from the movie)